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A public health expert, Dr Jonathan Dangana, has urged Nigerians to make healthy food choices and adopt the right behavioural patterns to maintain healthy kidneys.
Dangana gave the advice in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
According to Dangana, a lecturer in the Department of Public Health, Babcock University, the kidney is an essential organ in the human body with a strategic function that aids life processes. He also said that the kidneys, located below the rib cage with one on each side of the spine, remove waste products from the body as the body carries out processes of breaking down substances.
“Kidneys also remove drugs from the body. “When drugs are ingested or taken, they go through a process of metabolism which you can refer to as, breaking down, and what is no longer required has to be removed from the body, hence the kidney
serves as means of this removal through the urethra as urine.
“The kidneys balance the body’s fluids and release hormones that regulate blood pressure.
“The body in its natural function secretes a number of hormones aimed at aiding body functions. One of such is renin, which is expected to keep body pressure normal.” He, however, said that for humans to function well and stay healthy, proper care of the kidney must be prioritised. This, he said, is by making healthy food choices, which can only be ensured by eating balanced diet.
“Take part in physical activities. Engage your body in intentional physical activities; apportion time and possibly venue where you can engage in a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes daily, five times a week.
“Keep fit. In this part of the world we often say that a “pot belly” is a sign of good living or arrival of making money. Maintain a healthy weight commensurate with your health expectation,” he advised.
Dangana added that adequate sleep is a natural means of recalibrating the body and allowing it to work without breaking. He also said that adopting a smoke-free and alcohol-free life is important for healthy kidneys.
According to him, one of the cheapest means of making sure the services rendered by the kidneys are hampered or slowed down or disrupted is through smoking, as it slows the amount of blood required for the kidney to function and increases the chances of kidney disease. He said there are well over 15 different types of diseases that affect the kidney and each has its unique means of how they come about.
He, however, said that the diseases could be categorised into short term (acute and chronic) and long term.
He identified back pain, side pain, nausea, frequent urination, foamy urine, blood in urine, constipation and dizziness as warning signs to watch out for before the onset of kidney disease. Also, a nutritionist, Miss Uju Onuorah, advised drinking plenty of water and other fluids as water helps to clear toxins from the kidneys.
